LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
So beautiful, so powerfully moving, the ever-inventive Laura Dockrill has done it again with The Dream House - an incredibly honest, child-centred story about a boy’s struggle with terrible grief (and guilt) after losing his dad.
Beautifully presented with Gwen Millward’s soft, evocative, powerful illustrations - including Rex’s sketchbook drawings that provide poignant insights to his pain - this has all the marks of a future classic. Rex doesn’t talk much now his dad’s gone, and he’s gone to stay with his godfather Sparky, his dad’s best friend since childhood - “Mum said it would be good for me here; Sparky would take care of me so I could get some peace and ‘feel better’. To give her space while she dealt with what needed to be dealt with. But it was also because she couldn’t deal with me.” Rex is worried because drawing “doesn’t make me feel good like it used to”.
Nothing is the same, and he’s terrified of returning to the Dream House, a magical place created just for him. A magical place that’s filled with his dad. But little by little, with Sparky’s sensitive support (what a guy; his tenderness is sublime), and after talking to the boy next door, Rex is able to return to the Dream House, able to begin his long journey back to the world, to a life without Dad, but a world in which Dad is remembered and cherished, in the soothing knowledge that he doesn’t have to carry the heavy burden of grief alone.
Joanne Owen
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About
The Dream House Synopsis
Everyone needs somewhere to dream. Rex has gone to stay with his godfather, Sparky. Rex doesn't say much but that's OK because Sparky is always on hand with a cup of tea to enjoy on the sofa, set up outside like an outdoor living room. Rex has his sketchbook, and he draws how he feels even if he doesn't talk about it. And in Sparky's garden, hidden under the canopy of the willow tree, is the Dream House: a lovingly created space just for Rex, to dream, to play, to think, to be. A place he's loved all his childhood. But to go inside now Rex must summon his strength for revisiting the ghosts of his past . . .
An evocative sketchbook novella revealing a boy's inner world, accessing his feelings through drawing and reconnecting with the people who love him, told through Laura Dockrill's vivid storytelling. Fully illustrated throughout by Gwen Millward.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781848129450 |
| Publication date: |
9th September 2021 |
| Author: |
Laura Dockrill |
| Illustrator: |
Gwen Millward |
| Publisher: |
Piccadilly Press an imprint of Templar Publishing |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
110 pages |
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Press Reviews
Laura Dockrill Press Reviews
It looks so slight. Its illustrations promise something gentle and delicate. So I have a feeling that this book may be mistaken as a quick and easy read - and it's not. It's something much more memorable, strange... almost grown up. And written in such a beautiful, original style! It's sophisticated, poetic, exquisitely sensitive to nature and sorrow and turmoil and desperation. And rich in metaphors... The grass is long and happy. ...though it should probably come with a WARNING: Now and then, you may not quite understand. That's because this is a book about a boy who can't quite understand himself. -- Geraldine McCaughrean
Laura is one of the most original and interesting voices in children's literature and I always look forward to reading any new book she writes. -- Francesca Simon
Author
About Laura Dockrill
Laura Dockrill, a graduate of the Brit School of Performing Arts, is a performance poet, an author and an illustrator. At the age of twenty-two, she was named one of The Times’ "Top Ten Literary Stars". She is the author of the bestselling Darcy Burdock series, the first of which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year prize.
Her adult book What Have I Done is an honest memoir about suffering post-natal mental illness. Her debut picture book, and first collaboration with Maria Karipidou, was Angry Cookie. Laura lives in south-west London
Laura Dockrill is a performance poet and novelist. She has performed her work at the Edinburgh Fringe, Camp Bestival, Latitude, Bookslam and the Soho Theatre and on each of the BBC's respective radio channels, 1-6. She has been a roaming reporter for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, judged the BBC National Short Story Award, and has appeared on Blue Peter, Channel 4 News and Newsnight. Laura also teaches Guardian Masterclasses in writing for children and is on the advisory board at the Ministry of Stories.
Her books include Mistakes in the Background, Ugly Shy Girl and Echoes. Her first series for younger children, Darcy Burdock was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Lorali is her first novel for teenagers.
Laura is a judge on the Blue Peter Awards 2018: “I adored judging the Blue Peter Book Award, the nominated list was incredibly strong and made judging the prize so difficult. Which I think is a very good thing for the world of children’s books! I met wizards, talking toys with speech impediments, and was flown across the globe to marvellous new landscapes. I met big foot, uncovered mysteries and had my head blown off by space facts. It was a wonderful privilege and the shortlist is stunning!”
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